Every once in a while, maybe once every other month or so, I’ll see silvery glints in my vision. For instance, I just coughed fairly hard (this is usually how it’ll appear. sometimes they seem to appear if I feel short of breathe) and everywhere in my vision are silvery glints. When I look around, they follow my eye sight pattern. It is similar to watching fireflys on a summer night with random specs of light appearing all over. Instead of yellow, it’s these silver shards.
They are very small and thin with no real definite shape and they are extremely bright. In fact, it’s hard to tell if they are silver or pure white but they sure stand out.
Any ideas?
hm perhaps. they certainly don’t LOOK like stars but it’s possible. Any idea if this can occur without a cough? I’ve noticed them without coughing too.
I should have mentioned that a lightheaded feeling also seems to be associated with seeing these glints. Not every time but I do seem to notice it more when I see the glints without a cough.
It started happening to me about ten years ago, just like the OP describes. I cough or sneeze and then see a swarm of sparkly little fireflies flashing off and on. They leave little light-trails behind them.
I was just at the eye doctor’s a few months ago, told the doc all about it and the little shit told me it was all in my head. Of course what he meant was there’s nothing physically wrong with my eyes, except I’m really old and getting older by the second. That eye doctor was a cheeky bastard.
The ones I see tend to be blue, and like levdrakon’s, they leave little trails. They only happen when I cough too hard though.
I agree with Squink that they are technically a type of phosphene (there are many types) rather than a type of hallucination.
I am not a doctor, but do not think seeing them after coughing I a big deal. However, the fact that you say you are seeing them at other times, and feeling light-headed at the same time, sounds a bit worrying to me. Might that indicate a respiratory problem?
My star episodes almost always happen in the bathroom. Not necessarily while using the bathroom- just sitting on the toilet, or even physically being in a bathroom, can trigger it.
I love to lay down, close my eyes and watch the phosphemes swirl gently around - very much like watching clouds in the sky and looking for pictures. I am amazed that there wasn’t a culture that used phosphemes as a scrying device.
at least I’m not alone in this…
I suppose I’ll make more notes of their frequency and what I’m doing at the time. I suppose if it occurs more frequently I’ll pay a visit to the old doctor. If not, I’ll simply enjoy the show.
How is your blood pressure? I’ve got a thyroid thing that gives me low BP and frequent orthostatic hypotension (dizzy when standing up, bending down, etc.).
Medical questions belong in our IMHO forum (which wasn’t the case 5 years ago when this thread was started). I will move the thread there.
Please note that any advice and opinions you receive are just the opinions of some folks on the internet and should not be considered the equivalent of professional medical advice.
Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion.